Motorized snow vehicles are commonly used for transportation and sport. Snowmobiles which use a revolving endless drive belt or track to grip a snow covered surface are particularly popular. While jacks and stands have long been used for lifting or supporting the ends of various other motorized vehicles, these devices are generally not intended for use with snow vehicles. Examples of these standard lifting and support devices are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 1,894,293 to Green which discloses an automobile stand with a vertically adjustable rack portion; U.S. Pat. No. 2,719,696 which discloses a cable and ratchet wheel lifting jack; U.S. Pat. No. 184,009 which shows a design for a vehicle end lift jack; and U.S. Pat. No. 4,420,164 to Mitchell which discloses a dirt bike stand having vertically moving columns controllable through a pivotally mounted lever.
Snowmobile tracks, like other ground-gripping surfaces, must periodically be lifted and supported off the ground for inspection and maintenance. A snowmobile hoist developed for this purpose is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,747,778 to Collins, Jr. Because, snowmobiles often require an adjustment or alignment of the revolving track, operators and mechanics find convenient simple and efficient devices to raise the rear end of the snowmobile to allow quick inspection and adjustment in the field. Snowmobile tracks can be elevated by hand by having one or two persons lift one end of the vehicle. The vehicle end can then be held in a raised position either by hand, or by positioning a stand beneath the raised end. Examples of support stands are shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,830,455 to Brightly and U.S. Pat. No. 3,981,372 to Moreau. Such stands may also be used to support elevated tracks when the vehicle is parked on wet snow or slush. This prevents the ground-gripping tracks from later freezing to the ground. In any case, the effort expended in lifting the end of the vehicle by hand is considerable, and this strenuous and cumbersome task is not welcomed by vehicle users.